Probe for a wire inserting detection jig

ABSTRACT

In a natural state of a probe ( 41 ), a plunger ( 61 ) is distanced from a rod ( 62 ) by a spring ( 63 ), the rod ( 62 ) is held in contact with a contact element ( 75 ) by a spring ( 74 ), so that the rod ( 62 ) is connected to a common conductor of a base plate via a barrel ( 55 ). On the other hand, when an end of a wire comes into contact with an end of the plunger ( 61 ) to push it toward the rod ( 62 ), the rod ( 62 ) is distanced from the contact element ( 75 ). To be electrically disconnected from the common conductor of the base plate. Thus, all the barrels ( 55 ) and contact elements ( 75 ) of a plurality of probes ( 41 ) can be held at a specified potential only by a wiring for the signal common conductor.

[0001] This application is a divisional of application Ser. No.09/628,057 filed Jul. 28, 2000.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention relates to a wire mount control apparatusfor controlling the mount positions of wires relative to insertion holesin a connector. The invention also relates to electrical connectionsbetween the ends of the wires. Furthermore, the invention relates to awire mount control method, a probe and a wire insertion detection jig.

[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0005]FIG. 18 shows a first prior art wire mount instructing/testingapparatus. This apparatus is used for mounting the leading ends of wiresin one connector during the manufacture of a wiring harness or duringthe manufacture of a subassembly of a wiring harness. The prior artapparatus of FIG. 18 substantially simultaneously instructs, guides andtests proper insertion of the respective wires into the connector.

[0006] Wires are mounted with the prior art apparatus of FIG. 18 byfirst placing the connector (not shown) with which wires are to beconnected in a connector receptacle 6. Terminals for external connectionare mounted in advance at ends of the wires that are to be connectedwith this connector, and the respective wires are accommodated in wireaccommodating portions 3 that correspond to different kinds of thewires.

[0007] Next, a selected one of several instructing LEDs 2 is blinkedpursuant to a command from a control unit 1 and in accordance with aprogram of the control unit 1. The operator then takes a wire from awire-accommodating portion 3 that corresponds to the blinkinginstructing LED 2.

[0008] A selected one of a plurality of illuminating LEDs (not shown) inthe control unit 1 then is turned on, and light emitted from the LED isguided to an end 4 of an optical fiber 5 to illuminate one of theinsertion holes of the connector (not shown) in the connector receptacle6. The operator inserts the leading end of the wire that was taken fromthe wire-accommodating portion 3 into the illuminated insertion hole ofthe connector for connection.

[0009] The leading end of the wire reflects light from the optical fiber5 as the end of the wire is inserted into the insertion hole of theconnector. This reflected light then is guided back through the opticalfiber 5 to a light detector (not shown) in the control unit 1. The lightdetector determines whether the terminal has been inserted properlybased on the signal of the light detector. If the terminal has beeninserted properly, a success buzzer (not shown) in the control unit 1rings, and the blinking instructing LED 2 is turned off.

[0010] After the first wire has been mounted in the connector and thetest has been completed, a next wire to be taken out is identified byblinking the corresponding instructing LED 2. The insertion hole of theconnector into which this next wire is to be inserted is illuminated bythe optical fiber 5, and whether the wire has been properly inserted isdetected based on the presence or absence of the reflected light guidedthrough the optical fiber 5. Hereafter, the mounting of the wires in theconnector and the tests are performed successively in a similar manner.

[0011] The prior art apparatus of FIG. 18 enables more than one step tobe performed simultaneously. For example, the wire to be taken isidentified by blinking the corresponding instructing LED 2.Simultaneously, the insertion hole of the connector into which the takenwire is to be inserted is illuminated by the optical fiber 5. At almostthe same time, a determination of whether the wire has been properlyinserted can be detected based on the presence or absence of thereflected light guided through the optical fiber 5. Thus, the insertionof the terminal and the test on the inserted state can be performedsimultaneously.

[0012]FIG. 19 shows a second prior art wire mount instructing/testingapparatus. This apparatus is used when a first end of each of aplurality of wires 11 already has been mounted in a first connector 12.The second ends of the respective wires 11 then must be mounted inproper positions of a second connector 13. The prior art apparatus ofFIG. 19 substantially simultaneously instructs, guides and tests properinsertion of the respective wires 11 into the second connector 13.

[0013] Wires are mounted in the second connector 13 using the apparatusof FIG. 19 by first applying a specific voltage from a circuit in acontrol unit 14 to all terminals of the first connector 12 in which thewires 11 are mounted. The voltage is applied via a flexibleprinted-wiring strip 15 and specified electrodes (not shown) in a firstconnector receptacle 16.

[0014] An operator then selects a desired wire 11A from the plurality ofwires 11 mounted in the first connector 12, and brings a terminal 17A atthe second end of that wire 11A into contact with a ground plate 18. Theground plate 18 is grounded via the flexible printed-wiring strip 15 anda circuit in the control unit 14. Accordingly, a voltage level of theterminal in the first connector receptacle 16 that is connected with thefirst end of the wire 11A changes to LOW when the terminal 17A contactsthe ground plate 18. This change enables a circuit in the control unit14 to identify the wire 11A selected by the operator. A circuit in thecontrol unit 14 then selects one of a plurality of illuminating LEDs 19and applies a drive current to the illuminating LED 19 via the flexibleprinted-wiring strip 15 to turn on the illuminating LED 19.

[0015] A second connector receptacle 20 in which the second connector 13is mounted is provided near the illuminating LEDs 19. Thus the insertionpositions of the respective wires 11 in the second connector 13 and thecorresponding illuminating LEDs 19 are located adjacent to each otherwhen the second connector 13 is mounted in the second connectorreceptacle 20. Accordingly, the operator mounts the terminal 17A intothe corresponding insertion position of the second connector 13 adjacentto the illuminated LED 19. At this time, the terminal 17A is connectedwith a specified connector terminal (not shown) in the second connector13, which has been connected with the second connector receptacle 20.

[0016] The respective unillustrated electrodes of the second connectorreceptacle 20 are connected with the terminal 17A at the second end ofthe wire 11A via the specified connector terminals in the secondconnector 13. Voltage is applied to the respective electrodes of thesecond connector receptacle 20, and the applied voltage is outputted tothe specified circuit in the control unit 14 via the flexibleprinted-wiring strip 15. Accordingly, the voltage is applied from thecontrol unit 14 to the first end of the wire 11A via the flexibleprinted-wiring strip 15 and the electrodes in the first connectorreceptacle 16. Electrical connections between the respective electrodesin the first connector receptacle 16 and those in the second connectorreceptacle 20 can be tested by inputting the voltage from the terminal17A at the second end of the wire 11A to the control unit 14 via theconnector terminals in the second connector 13, the electrodes of thesecond connector receptacle 20 and the flexible printed-wiring strip 15.As a result, whether or not the wire 11A is mounted in the proper mountposition of the connector can be detected.

[0017] Other wires 11 mounted in the first connector 12 can have thesecond ends properly mounted in the second connector in a similarmanner.

[0018] Pedal switches 7 and 23 in FIGS. 18 and 19, respectively, areprovided to switch to a manual operation so that the operator canmanually input an actual operation relating to the wire insertion andguide and register a product number of the wires.

[0019] In the FIG. 18 prior art, the wire mount position is identifiedand the mounting of the wire is tested for the first end (hereinafter,“A-end”) of the wire to be connected with the connector. On thecontrary, in the FIG. 19 prior art, the proper wire mount position isidentified and the mounting of the wire is tested for the second end(hereinafter, “B-end”) of a wire that has its first end alreadyconnected with the connector.

[0020] The above-described operations desirably should be performed by aflow production. However, FIGS. 18 and 19 represent entirely separateprior art wire mount instructing/testing apparatuses, and it isdifficult to perform the above operations by a flow production at thesame operation site. Thus, an assembly of a first connector and therespective wires that was assembled and tested in the prior artapparatus of FIG. 18 has to be transferred to the prior art apparatus ofFIG. 19 to have the second ends of the respective wires connected withthe second connector. Such a combination of the operations impedesoptimal operation efficiency.

[0021] Certain of the above-described elements could be used commonly inthe prior art apparatuses of both FIGS. 18 and 19. For instance, it ispossible: to provide the control unit 1 shown in FIG. 18 with thefunction of the control unit 14 shown in FIG. 19; to switch thefunctions by specifically switching a mode; to commonly use theconnector receptacle 6 shown in FIG. 18 and the connector receptacles16, 20 shown in FIG. 19; and to commonly use the pedal switches 7, 23.However, even such a rearrangement would not improve time efficiencysignificantly because the operations of the first and second prior artapparatuses need to be performed in a time sequence.

[0022] The aforementioned first and second prior art devices testwhether the ends of the wires have been mounted in proper mountpositions by inserting the ends of the wires into the respectivecavities of the connectors and detecting electrical connections betweenthe wires and the connectors. These tests are conducted after connectingthe connectors 12 and 13 of FIG. 19 with the connector receptacles 6, 16and 21. However, the connector receptacles 6, 16, 20 that are compatiblewith the actual respective connectors actually are used one by one.Thus, the connector receptacles 6, 16 and 20 have to be changed when theproduct number of the subassembly is changed, which presents poorefficiency. In view of this, it is desirable to use a wireinsertion-detecting jig having which can accommodate product numbers ofall subassemblies.

[0023] In the case of wire insertion detecting jigs having a goodefficiency, wirings for the connection between the wire insertiondetecting jigs and the control units 1, 14 increase in proportion to themaximum number of the wires to be assembled since these detecting jigsneed to accommodate the assembling of many wires. As a result, a largespace is required for the wirings for connection, which presents adifficulty in wiring layout. Particularly, in the case of the secondprior art relating to the mounting of the B-ends, it is necessary toconsider not only detection of mounting of the wires, but also a wiringfor the ground plate 18. Therefore, there is a demand for an improvementin wiring efficiency.

[0024] An object of the present invention is to provide a wire mountcontrol apparatus and method as well as a probe and wire insertiondetecting jig that allow efficient control and that identify mountpositions in connectors for the opposite ends of wires of a wiringharness and that preferably test the mounting of the wires at a singleoperation site.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0025] The subject invention is directed to a probe for detectingcontact by an end of a wire. The probe comprises a conductive hollowbarrel, which at least partly forms an outer periphery of the probe andwhich is connected or connectable with a specified common conductor. Theprobe also comprises a contact inside the barrel. The contact bulges orprojects out sufficiently to connect electrically with the barrel. Atleast one electrically insulating element is fit in the barrel, and atleast one conductive bar is fit loosely in the electrically insulatingelement for movement toward and away from the contact. The probe furthercomprises a biasing member for urging the conductive bar against thecontact. However, the end of the wire can be inserted into the barrel tourge the conductive bar away from the contact.

[0026] A plurality of the above-described probes may used with a wiremount control apparatus and may be loosely inserted into each of aplurality of accommodating portions of a jig main body. Eachaccommodating portion may be configured to receive a connector that hasa plurality of cavities into which wire ends may be inserted. Theabove-described probes can be fit loosely into each of a plurality ofthrough holes formed in a base plate and then into an accommodatingportion of the jig main body. The probes then may project into thecavities of a connector that is inserted into the respectiveaccommodating portion for detecting contact by an end of a specifiedwire. The common conductor to which the barrel of the probe is connectedmay be formed in the jig main body.

[0027] Accordingly, the conductive bars are held in contact with thecontact elements by the biasing forces of the biasing means to connectthe conductive bars of all probes to the common conductor via thebarrels. On the other hand, when an end of a wire is inserted into theconnector sufficiently to contact any one of the probes, thecorresponding conductive bar is moved away from the contact elementagainst the biasing force of the biasing means to electricallydisconnect the bar member of the probe from the common conductor.Accordingly, the presence of the wire in the connector can be detectedeasily merely by detecting the potential of the conductive bar of theprobe. More particularly, the barrels that define the peripheries of theprobes are adhered to the common conductor at the through holes of thebase plate. Thus, the barrels and the contact elements of all probes canbe maintained at a specified potential merely by using the single leadwire extending from this common conductor. Accordingly, it is sufficientto use only a single lead wire for the potentials of the contactelements of all the probes even if many probes are required toaccommodate the many cavities or insertion holes of the connector. Thus,a wiring efficiency can be improved significantly as compared to a casewhere wiring is provided for the contact element of each probe.Therefore, the probes can be arranged more densely in the wireinsertion-detecting jig.

[0028] Preferably, the conductive bar is comprised of two conductive barelements. The first conductive bar element is disengaged from thecontact element by the contact of the end of the wire with the secondbar element. The first and second bar elements then can be brought to apotential different from the potential of the contact element.

[0029] The invention further is directed to the above-described wireinsertion-detecting jig as used with a wire mount control apparatus. Thewire mount control apparatus is operable for detecting whether or notends of wires have been inserted into insertion holes of a connectorthat is accommodated at least partly accommodated in the jig. The wireinsertion-detecting jig may comprise locking members for locking theconnectors in the accommodating portions.

[0030] The wire insertion-detection jig may comprise a touch plate onthe jig main body for electrical connection with the common conductor.Thus, when an operator brings an arbitrary wire into contact with thetouch plate, the potential of the wire is switched to the same potentialas the common conductor. Accordingly, it is sufficient to connect thetouch plate with the common conductor to hold the potential of thecontact elements of all probes at the specified level, and a controlunit then can recognize an arbitrary wire that has been brought intocontact with the touch plate. Thus, the number of wirings needs not beincreased as much as where special wirings are provided.

[0031] The invention also is directed to a wire mount control apparatusfor controlling the mounting or assembling of wires in a desiredconnector. The connector is formed with a plurality of insertion holes.The wire mount control apparatus comprises a plurality of wire supplyingmeans for supplying various wires. The wire mount control apparatus alsoincludes instructing indicators that may be provided in a one-on-onecorrespondence with the plurality of wire supplying means. Theinstructing indicators identify one wire supplying means for supplying awire to be taken or grasped by an operator. A plurality of wireinsertion-detecting jigs are provided for at least partly accommodatingconnectors that are to be connected with specified wires and fordetecting whether or not the respective wires have been inserted intothe plurality of insertion holes of the connectors. The wire mountcontrol apparatus further comprises a control means for electricallycontrolling the instructing indicators and the wire insertion-detectingjig.

[0032] Each wire insertion-detecting jig of the wire mount controlapparatus comprises a jig main body formed with an accommodation portioninto which the connector is at least partly mountable. Each jig furthercomprises at least one probe as described above. The probes are providedin the accommodation portion of the jig main body to correspondsubstantially to the respective insertion holes of the connector.Additionally, each probe is held at a specified first potential when anend of the wire is not inserted in the corresponding insertion hole,while having its potential switched to a second potential different fromthe first potential when the end of the wire is inserted into thecorresponding insertion hole and into contact with the probe. Guidingindicators are provided, preferably in one-on-one correspondence withthe probes, for indicating the insertion hole of the connector intowhich the operator should mount the wire.

[0033] The control means of the wire mount control apparatus comprises afirst indicating section for identifying a wire supplying means thatsupplies the wire the operator should take. The first indicating sectioncontrols a corresponding one of the instructing indicators for each ofthe wires in accordance with an assembling order that is based oninformation previously registered in a storage means. A guidingindicator is controlled to identify a proper insertion hole of a firstconnector in which the operator should mount the first end of the wire.A second indicating section is operative to detect the wire chosen bythe operator. The second indicating section indicates a proper singleinsertion hole of the second connector in which the operator shouldmount the second end of each wire by controlling the guiding indicatorcorresponding to the proper insertion hole based on the detection resultand information previously registered in the storage means.

[0034] The wire insertion detection jig may comprise a touch plate heldat a first potential and exposed on the outer surface of the jig mainbody. Thus the operator can intentionally bring the end of the wire intocontact with the touch plate. The second indicating section detects thewire chosen by the operator by the contact between the second end of thechosen wire and the touch plate. The detection is based on a change inthe voltage level of the probe in contact with the first end of eachwire from the second potential to the first potential when the operatorbrings the second end of the wire into contact with the touch plate heldat the first potential.

[0035] The first instructing section may be provided for judging thatthe first end of each wire has been mounted properly when the voltagelevel of the probe located at the mount position is switched from thefirst potential to the second potential.

[0036] The second instructing section also may be provided for judgingthat the second end of each wire has been mounted properly when thevoltage level of the probe at the mount position is switched from thefirst potential to the second potential.

[0037] The control means may further comprise an electrical connectiontesting section for testing an electrical connection between the firstand second connectors by detecting potential changes in the probes ofthe first and second wire insertion-detecting jigs. The detection may beachieved by successively switching the potentials of the respectiveprobes in either the first or second wire insertion detecting jig fromthe first potential to the second potential, preferably after theindication and/or the judgment are completed for all wires in the firstand second indicating sections.

[0038] Each wire insertion-detecting jig of the wire mountinstructing/testing apparatus comprises a jig main body formed with anopening into which the connector is mounted. Probes are provided at thebottom of the opening of the jig main body and correspond to therespective insertion holes of the connector. The probes are held at aspecified first potential when an end of the wire is not inserted in thecorresponding insertion hole, but have the potential switched to asecond potential different from the first potential when the end of thewire is inserted into the corresponding hole to contact the probe.Guiding lamps are provided in one-on-one correspondence with the probesfor guiding the insertion hole of the connector into the opening intowhich the operator should mount the wire. A touch plate is exposed onthe outer surface of the jig main body and is held at the firstpotential. Thus, the operator can intentionally bring the end of thewire into contact with the touch plate.

[0039] The control means of the apparatus comprises a firstinstructing/guiding section for identifying the supplying channel thataccommodates the wire the operator should take out. The identificationis achieved by turning on a corresponding one of the instructing lampsfor each of the wires in accordance with an assembling order based onspecified information registered in advance in a specified storagemeans. The control means also identifies a proper single insertion holeof the connector in which the operator should mount the first end ofeach wire by turning on the guiding lamp that corresponds to the properinsertion hole. The control means further judges that the first end ofeach wire has been properly mounted when the voltage level of the probelocated at the mount position is switched from the first potential tothe second potential.

[0040] A second instructing/guiding section is provided in the controlmeans for detecting the contact of the second end of each wire with thetouch plate. The detection is based on a change in the voltage level ofthe probe in contact with the first end of each wire from the secondpotential to the first potential, and occurs when the operator bringsthe second end of each wire into contact with the touch plate held atthe first potential. The control also is achieved by turning on aguiding lamp to identify a proper single insertion hole of the secondconnector in which the operator should mount the second end of eachwire. The particular lamp turned on is based on the detection result andinformation previously registered in the storage means. The controlmeans judges that the second end of each wire has been properly mountedwhen the voltage level of the probe at the mount position is switchedfrom the first potential to the second potential.

[0041] The apparatus also has an electrical connection testing sectionfor testing an electrical connection between the first and secondconnectors by detecting potential changes in the probes of the first andsecond wire insertion-detecting jigs. The testing may be achieved bysuccessively switching the potentials of the probes in either the firstor second wire insertion detecting jigs from the first potential to thesecond potential after the guiding and the judgment are completed forall the wires in the first and second instructing/guiding sections.Accordingly, the operator can recognize the connection of the wiresefficiently and, if he tries to insert the wire in a mistaken manner,the control means can immediately detect it.

[0042] The process of mounting the second ends of the wires into thesecond connector is started when the operator brings the second end ofany wire into contact with the touch plate at an arbitrary timing. Thus,a process can be performed in any operation sequence. For example, inthe case of assembling a plurality of wires, all the second ends of thewires may be mounted in the second connector after the first endsthereof are mounted in the first connector. Alternatively, the wires maybe mounted one by one such as in a case where the opposite ends of anext wire may be connected with two connectors after those of a firstwire are connected with the two connectors. This provides an advantagethat the operator can conduct an actual assembling operation inaccordance with the operation sequence he freely selects. Further, theelectrical connection tests for all the wires can be conducted after allthe wires are mounted. Therefore, operation efficiency can be improvedsignificantly compared with the conventional practice with which thefirst ends and the second ends of the wires are mounted into therespective connectors by separate apparatuses.

[0043] Preferably, the apparatus further comprises a sound output meansfor notifying a success in tests by a specified sound. Thus, a soundwould be generated if the first instructing/guiding or indicatingsection judges that the first end of each wire has been mountedproperly, if the second instructing/guiding or indicating section judgesthat the second end of each wire has been mounted properly and/or if theelectrical connection testing section detects the proper electricalconnection based on information in the storage means. The sound outputmeans also may notify of a failure in tests by a specified sound if thefirst instructing/guiding or indicating section judges that the firstend of any wire has been mounted improperly, if the secondinstructing/guiding or indicating section judges that the second end ofany wire has been mounted improperly and/or if the electrical connectiontesting section does not detect the proper electrical connection basedon the information in the storage means. Accordingly, a success orfailure in mounting the wires can easily be notified to the operator bysounds.

[0044] The apparatus may further comprise a combinationselecting/designating means for selecting and designating one of aplurality of combinations of the wire mount positions for eachconnector. Additionally, the controller may further comprise adata-registering unit for registering data on the plurality ofcombinations of the wire mount positions for each connector.Accordingly, the operator can mount the wires in accordance with variousspecifications using the same wire mount instructing/testing apparatusby registering a plurality of specifications beforehand.

[0045] The control means preferably identifies the wire supplying meansfrom which the operator should take the wire by controlling oractivating or changing a state of the supply means, preferably byblinking one of the instructing indicators or lamps based on theinformation in the storage means if the operation of the firstinstructing/guiding or indicating section starts with none of the probesof the wire insertion detecting jigs contacted by the wire. The controlmeans controls or activates or changes a state of the supply means, andpreferably turns on all the instructing indicators or lampscorresponding to all the wire supplying means or supplying channels thatsupply or accommodate the wires to be mounted into the one connectorbased on the selected and designated content of theselecting/designating means and/or the information in the storage means.

[0046] Accordingly, the instructing indicator or lamp that correspondsto the wire to be connected with the one connector is blinked and theone corresponding to the wire to be connected next with this connectorpreferably is turned on. This operation is convenient because theoperator can easily know succeeding operations.

[0047] According to a further preferred embodiment, the secondinstructing/guiding or indicating section of the control means judgesthat the second end of each wire has been mounted properly when thevoltage level of the probe located at the correct single insertion holeof the second connector is switched from the first potential to thesecond potential without the second end of each wire being brought intocontact with the touch plate by the operator. Accordingly, the operatorcan save labor to illuminate the guiding lamps by bringing the secondend of each wire into contact with the touch plate, for example, in thecase of repeatedly forming subassemblies of the same specification, withthe result that operation efficiency can be improved.

[0048] Preferably, the control means is formed with at least one successoutput terminal for outputting a success signal if all the wires havebeen properly mounted in the connectors accommodated in the first andsecond wire insertion detecting jigs. The control means preferably isconstructed to receive a success signal sent from a success outputterminal of another wire mount instructing/testing or control apparatusand, in such a case, outputs the success signal from the success outputterminal thereof only when all the wires relating to this control meanshave been properly mounted and the success signal is inputted from theother wire mount instructing/testing or control apparatus.

[0049] Accordingly, by connecting a plurality of wire mountinstructing/testing or control apparatuses using the success outputterminals, the connection of the number of wires, which cannot behandled by one wire mount instructing/testing or control apparatus, canbe guided and tested using the plurality of wire mountinstructing/testing or control apparatuses.

[0050] Most preferably, the control means comprises switching means forsetting a data registration mode for registering or storing or detectingan assembling order of the respective wires and a correspondence betweenfirst and second ends of the respective wires based on a specifiedoperation of the operator. The control means further compriseregistering means, which function with the data registration mode set,for registering sequences of the controlled or activated or turned-onstate or blinking state of the respective instructing indicators orlamps and/or the respective guiding indicators or lamps. The registeringmeans may further register a sequence of bringing the first ends of theplurality wires into contact with the respective probes when theoperator brings the first ends of the respective wires into contact withthe respective probes in the first wire insertion detecting jig in asequence employed in an actual operation while corresponding thecontrolling or activating or turning-on or blinking of the respectiveinstructing lamps or indicators and/or the respective guiding lamps orindicators. The control means may further comprise extracting means,which function when connectors of a specified model harness completedbeforehand by mounting opposite ends of wires in connectors are mountedin the respective wire insertion detecting jigs with the dataregistration mode set, for extracting a correspondence in connection ofthe opposite ends of the respective wires mounted in the connectors andsaving it in the storage means.

[0051] Accordingly, the correct operation confirming to an actualoperation is registered as data by the operator bringing the first endsof a plurality of wires into contact with the respective probes in onewire insertion detecting jig in an operation sequence employed by theactual operation with the data registration mode set. Accordingly, thedata can be registered by a very simple method, and anybody can easilycarry out data registration. Further, since the operation procedureduring the data registration is the same as the one employed during theactual operation (of instructing and guiding insertion), there is anadvantage that the operator can easily recognize the operation procedureat the same time he carries out the data registration.

[0052] The connectors of the specified model harness are completedbeforehand such that opposite ends of the wires are mounted in therespective connectors, which, in turn, are mounted into the respectivewire insertion detecting jigs. Consequently, a correspondence inconnection between the opposite ends of the respective wires mounted inthe connectors is extracted and registered in the storage means. Thus,data can be registered automatically merely by mounting the connectorsof the model harness prepared beforehand into the wire insertiondetecting jigs. Therefore, data registration can be carried out by avery easy operation.

[0053] The invention also is directed a wire mount control method forcontrolling the mounting of wires in a desired connector formed with aplurality of insertion holes. The method comprises accommodating variouswires to be supplied in a plurality of wire supplying means. The methodproceeds by providing instructing indicators, preferably in one-on-onecorrespondence with the plurality of wire supplying means, foridentifying one supplying channel that accommodates a wire to be takenby an operator. The method continues by providing guiding indicators,preferably in one-on-one correspondence with the probes, for indicatingthe insertion hole of the connector into which the operator should mountthe wire. The method further comprises at least partly accommodatingdesired connectors to be connected with specified wires in a pluralityof wire insertion-detecting jigs. The wire insertion detecting jigs aresuitable to detect whether or not the respective wires have beeninserted into the plurality of insertion holes of the connectors. Thus,when a wire is not inserted into the respective insertion hole of theconnector, a probe provided in a position in the wireinsertion-detecting jig corresponding to the insertion hole is held at aspecified first potential while having its potential switched to asecond potential different from the first potential when the end of thewire is inserted into the corresponding hole to contact the probe. Themethod then comprises electrically controlling the instructingindicators and the wire insertion detecting jigs by a control means. Themethod may further proceed by indicating, by means of a first indicatingsection, one wire supplying means for supplying the wire that theoperator should take. The indicating may be carried out by controlling acorresponding one of the instructing indicators for each of the wires inaccordance with an assembling order based on specified informationregistered in advance in a specified storage means, and indicating aproper insertion hole of the connector in which the operator shouldmount the end of each wire by controlling the guiding indicatorcorresponding to the proper insertion hole. The method then continuesdetecting, by means of a second indicating section, a wire chosen by theoperator to mount the second end of each wire in another connectoraccommodated in another wire insertion detecting jig with the one end ofeach wire mounted in one connector accommodated in the one wireinsertion detecting jig. Finally, the method comprises indicating aproper insertion hole of the second connector in which the operatorshould mount the second end of each wire by controlling the guidingindicator corresponding to the proper insertion hole based on thedetection result of the second indicating section and a specifiedinformation registered in advance in the specified storage means.

[0054] These and other objects, features and advantages of the presentinvention will become apparent upon a reading of the following detaileddescription and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0055]FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the external configuration ofa wire mount instructing/testing apparatus according to one embodimentof the invention.

[0056]FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram schematically showing the entire wiremount instructing/testing apparatus.

[0057]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a wire insertion-detecting jigused in the wire mount instructing/testing apparatus.

[0058]FIG. 4 is a section of the wire insertion-detecting jig used inthe wire mount instructing/testing apparatus.

[0059]FIG. 5A is a section of a probe in the wire insertion-detectingjig used in the wire mount instructing/testing apparatus.

[0060]FIG. 5B is an enlarged section showing a natural state of theprobe used in the wire insertion-detecting jig.

[0061]FIG. 5C is an enlarged section showing a wire-inserted state ofthe probe used in the wire insertion-detecting jig.

[0062]FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a front surface of a controlunit used in the wire mount instructing/testing apparatus.

[0063]FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a rear surface of the controlunit used in the wire mount instructing/testing apparatus.

[0064]FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing functions of a CPU in thecontrol unit used in the wire mount instructing/testing apparatus.

[0065]FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a product number switching boardused in the wire mount instructing/testing apparatus.

[0066]FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a flat cable for connecting theproduct number switching board and the control unit.

[0067]FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the rear surfaces of the controlunits when a plurality of wire mount instructing/testing apparatuses isused in combination.

[0068]FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a model harness used for theembodiment of the invention.

[0069]FIG. 13 is a timing chart showing an operation of the wire mountinstructing/testing apparatus.

[0070] FIGS. 14 to 17 show a flow chart showing an operation procedureof wire mount instructing/testing apparatus.

[0071]FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a wire mount instructing/testingapparatus according to first prior art.

[0072]FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a wire mount instructing/testingapparatus according to second prior art.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EDMBODIMENTS

[0073] A wire mount instructing/testing apparatus in accordance with theinvention is illustrated in FIG. 1. The apparatus of FIG. 1 is usedduring the manufacture of a wiring harness subassembly, and instructs,guides, tests or otherwise controls the positioning of both ends of eachwire of the subassembly into corresponding connectors. The apparatusalso enables the detection of an electrical connection between theopposite ends of each wire in a wiring harness as part of themanufacturing process of a wiring harness subassembly.

[0074] As shown in FIG. 1, the apparatus comprises: a wire supplyingunit 31; instructing LEDs 32, which may also be lamps, indicators,displays or panels; wire insertion detecting jigs 33; a control unit 34;and a product number switching board 36, all of which are placed on awork table 35.

[0075] The wire-supplying unit 31 includes a plurality of substantiallyparallel supplying channels 31 a, which are placed at least partly aboveor transversely next to each other for separately accommodating aplurality of different kinds of wires. The wires extend substantially ina longitudinal direction of the channels 31 a or from the back side tothe front side in FIG. 1. The illustrated supplying channels 31 a aremerely one form of several optional wire supply means that may beincorporated into the apparatus. Other wire supplying means may compriseracks or holders for holding or supplying wires that are to be taken orgrasped by the operator.

[0076] The instructing LEDs 32 preferably are provided in one-on-onecorrespondence with the supplying channels 31 a. Alternatively oradditionally one instructing means or indicator may be provided for twoor more supplying channels 31 a and may have different colors and/orshapes for identifying a specific supplying channel 31 a.

[0077] A connector Cn is placed in each detecting jig 33, as shown inFIG. 4, and detects whether the respective wires have been mountedproperly into insertion holes Cab of the connector Cn. The control unit34 electrically controls the elements 31, 32 and 33, and the switchingboard 36 enables a product number of the subassembly to be switched byactuating a switch.

[0078] The supplying channels 31 a of the wire-supplying unit 31 areinclined downwardly toward their front sides, which is a dispensingside. Thus, wires placed at the back sides of the respective supplyingchannels 31 a slide down to end walls at the front side. The leadingends of the wires that contact the end walls can be taken out throughdischarge openings 31 b in the upper surfaces of the supplying channels31 a. The instructing LEDs 32 are in one-on-one correspondence with theupper openings 31 b and are provided near the respective upper openings31 b.

[0079] The apparatus is constructed to detect whether the wires aremounted in the respective cavities (Cab in FIG. 4) of the connector Cnthat has placed in the wire insertion-detecting jig 33. This detectionis achieved with probes in the wire insertion-detection jig 33. Moreparticularly, voltage levels, currents or signals of the probes areinputted to the control unit 34 and changes in such voltage levels arefed to a CPU 43 via a detection signal input/output circuit 42 in thecontrol unit 34. The CPU 43 in the control unit 34 drives guiding LEDs,displays or indicators that are provided at the wire insertion detectingjigs 33, the instructing LEDs 32 that correspond to the respectivesupplying channels 31 a and a buzzer (sound output means) 49 provided inthe control unit 34 by controlling various driving circuits 44, 45, 46.

[0080] Examples of wire insertion-detecting jigs 33 are shown in FIGS. 3and 4. The jig 33 of FIG. 3 has the guiding LEDs 48 aligned in a linearound an opening 52 a of an accommodation portion 52 that at leastpartly accommodates a connector Cn. The jig 33 of FIG. 4, on the otherhand, has two lines of the guiding LEDs 48 arranged at the left side ofthe opening. The jig can have other optional layouts. However, theguiding LEDs 48 should be provided in easily understandablecorrespondence with the probes 41 in the opening 52 a.

[0081] A plurality of wire insertion detecting jigs 33 are provided on afixed plate 35 b disposed above the wire supplying units 31, as shown inFIG. 1. The plate 35 b is mounted to a frame 35 a that is secured to theworktable 35. The plurality of wire insertion detecting jigs 33 areprovided because, after the first ends of wires are connected with afirst connector Cn (see FIG. 4) mounted in a first wireinsertion-detecting jig 33, the second ends are connected with a secondconnector Cn (see FIG. 4) mounted in a second wire insertion detectingjig 33. In some situations, the first ends of two wires may be connectedwith the same first connector, but the second ends of the two wires maybe connected to two separate second connectors, i.e. the wires mayrequire three (different) connectors. Hence, it is desirable to providethree wire insertion-detecting jigs 33 on the fixed plate 35 b in viewof such a possibility.

[0082] Each wire insertion-detecting jig 33 includes a jig main body 51.The accommodating portion 52 is formed in the upper surface of the jigmain body 51 and is dimensioned for at least partly accommodating theconnector Cn, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. A base plate 54 is secured tothe bottom of the opening 52 a defined by the accommodating portion 52and is formed with through holes 53. Probes 41 are fitted in the throughholes 53, as shown in FIG. 4. The probes 41 substantially correspond topositions of the respective cavities Cab of the connector Cn. Thus, whena wire is mounted into any one of the cavities Cab of the connector Cn,the leading end of the wire comes into contact with the leading end head66 of the probe 41. A plating 56 of tin or other metal with excellentconductivity is applied to the entire upper and lower surfaces of thebase plate 54 and to the entire inner surfaces of the through holes 53of the base plate 54 where the probes 41 are fitted. Thus, the metalplating 56 can be held in close contact with conductive barrels 55 atthe outer peripheries of the probes 41. The metal plating 56 is groundedvia a ground lead wire 57. Thus, the barrels 55 of the probes 41 areheld constantly at ground potential. More particularly, the metalplating 56 is connected with all the probes 41 and is grounded via oneground lead wire 57, so that the barrels 55 of all the probes 41 can beheld at ground potential by using only the single ground lead wire 57.

[0083] As shown in FIGS. 5A-5C, each probe 41 has a substantiallybar-shaped plunger 61 loosely fitted into a top side of a through hole60 inside the conductive barrel 55, such that the plunger 61 projectsupward toward the wire that is to be inserted into the respective cavityCab. Additionally, a substantially bar-shaped rod 62 is loosely fittedinto a bottom side of the through hole 60.

[0084] The upper and lower halves of the plunger 61 define upper andlower bars 67 and 68, respectively. The upper bar 67 is loosely fittedinto a tubular stopper 64 secured to the upper end of the inner surfaceof the through hole 60 of the barrel 55, and the lower bar 68 is looselyfitted into a substantially tubular guiding tube 69 secured to a middleportion of the inner surface of the through hole 60 of the barrel 55.The tubular stopper 68 and the guiding tube 69 both are formed from anelectrically insulating material, such as resin. Accordingly, theplunger 61 is loosely movable along a longitudinal and preferablysubstantially vertical direction in the upper half of the through hole60 without electrically contacting the barrel 55. A spring bearingportion 65 bulges radially outward in a middle position of the plunger61, and a flange 69 a is formed on the guiding tube 69 secured in thebarrel 55. A biasing member 63, such as a coil spring, extends betweenthe flange 69 a and the spring bearing portion 65, and urges the plunger61 upwardly. More particularly, biasing forces of the biasing member 63hold the spring bearing portion 65 of the plunger 61 in contact with thebottom end of the electrically insulating tubular stopper 64 that issecured to the upper end of the barrel 55. Thus, the upper bar 67 of theplunger 61 projects at least partly from the upper end of the barrel 55,at least as long as the leading end head 66 at the upper end of theplunger 61 is not pushed down by the wire.

[0085] The rod 62 is loosely fitted into collars 71, 72 that are securedto a bottom part of the inner surface of the through hole 60 of thebarrel 55. The collars 71, 72 both are made of an electricallyinsulating material, such as resin. Accordingly, the rod 62 is looselymovable along vertical direction in the lower half of the through hole60 without electrically contacting the barrel 55. A spring bearingportion 73 bulges radially outward at the upper end of the rod 62, andis biased upward by a biasing member 74, such as a coil spring, that issupported on the upper insulating collar 71. Biasing forces of thebiasing member 74 disengageably hold the spring bearing portion 73 ofthe rod 62 in contact with the bottom end of a conductive tubular orring-shaped contact element or stopper 75. The contact element 75 isconnected electrically with and secured to the inner surface of thebarrel 55 in its natural state, as shown in FIG. 5B. Thus, the rod 62 isconnected electrically with the barrel 55 via the contact element 75, asshown in FIG. 5B, as long as the spring bearing portion 73 of the rod 62is not pushed down by a bottom end 61 a of the plunger 61, as shown inFIG. 5C. A connecting tube 77 is shown in FIG. 5A for connecting thebottom end of the rod 62 to a lead wire (see 78 in FIG. 4) for externalconnection by soldering or the like. The connecting tube 77 is securedonly to the bottom end of the insulating collar 72 that projects downfrom the barrel 55, and thus is held electrically disconnected from thebarrel 55.

[0086] The spring bearing portion 65 of the plunger 61 is biased upwardby the biasing member 63, and in the natural state of the probe 41, asshown in FIG. 5B, the rod 62 is spaced below the plunger 61. This causesthe spring bearing portion 73 of the rod 62 to be biased upward by thebiasing member 74, and into contact with the conductive contact element75 that will be held at a ground potential (first potential) of thebarrel 55. On the other hand, an end of a wire WH inserted into thecavity Cab of the connector Cn, as shown in FIG. 5C, pushes the leadingend head 66 of the plunger 61 of the probe 41 down in the opening 52 aformed in the upper surface of the wire insertion-detecting jig 33. Thebottom end 61 a of the plunger 61 then pushes the spring bearing portion73 of the rod 62 down. As a result, the rod 62 is disengaged from thecontact element 75 and electrical connection between the rod 62 and thebarrel 55 is cancelled. As shown in FIG. 2, the bottom end of the rod 62of the probe 41 is connected to a pull-up resistor 79 via the lead wire78 for external connection, and a point of connection with the pull-upresistor 79 is connected to the CPU 43 via the detection signalinput/output circuit 42. By this construction, the probe 41 is held inits natural state and at the ground potential of the barrel 55, as longas the wire does not contact the leading end head 66 of each respectiveprobe 41. Thus a signal inputted to the CPU 43 via the detection signalinput/output circuit 42 is a LOW signal. On the other hand, theelectrical connection of the probe 41 with the grounded barrel 55 iscancelled when the wire comes into contact with the leading end head 66of the probe 41. Thus a signal inputted to the CPU 43 via the detectionsignal input/output circuit 42 becomes a HIGH signal.

[0087] A touch plate 81 is provided on one side surface of each wireinsertion-detection jig 33, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, and is to beconnected with the metal plating 56 and the ground lead wire 57 of thebase plate 54 via a connecting piece 80. An operator can lower a voltageof the wire to the LOW ground potential or state any time by bringing anend of the wire into contact with the touch plate 81. Accordingly, thevoltage level of the entire wire can be lowered from HIGH to LOW anytime by bringing the second end of the wire into contact with the touchplate 81 when the first end of the wire is at the HIGH second potentialor state due to its contact with the probe 41 in the wireinsertion-detecting jig 33. Such an operation enables the wirearbitrarily selected by the operator to be easily recognized by the CPU43.

[0088] If the purpose is only to detect the contact of the wire, theplunger 61 may be omitted and, instead, the rod 62 may project from theupper end of the barrel 55. The force exerted by an operator to insertthe terminal differs over time and from person to person. Thus, theprobe 41 is designed to switch the potential easily and securely merelyby distancing the rod 62 from the contact element 75 by the contact ofthe plunger 61 after the plunger 61 and the rod 62 are moved away fromeach other in the natural state.

[0089] The guiding LEDs 48 are provided in portions of the upper surfaceof the wire insertion detecting jig 33 adjacent the opening 52 a and atlocations that correspond with the locations of the probes 41 in theaccommodating portion 52. The guiding LEDs 48 are connected to the leadwire 87 and the driving circuit 44 in the control unit 34 shown in FIG.2, and are activated and deactivated, to turn on and off or blink, inaccordance with a drive control executed by the CPU 43.

[0090] A lock 84, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, holds the connector Cnmounted in the accommodating portion 52. The lock 84 includes anelongate base 84 a with a specified elasticity. The base 84 a issupported by the wire insertion-detection jig 33 for rotation about anaxis of 85 in an intermediate position on the elongate base 84 a. Asubstantially wedge-shaped claw 84 b is formed at the upper end of thelock 84, and a biasing member 86, such as a coil spring, biases a bottomportion of the base 84 a in the direction of arrow X1. Thus, the leadingend of the claw 84 b is biased to overlap part of the opening 52 a, asshown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The portion of the claw 84 b that overlaps theopening 52 a includes a tapered upper surface 84 c that slants downtoward the opening 52 a. The connector Cn can be pushed down against thetapered surface 84 c. Forces generated by the connector Cn on thetapered upper surface 84 c of the claw 84 b cause the base 84 a todeflect and to pivot against the forces of the biasing member 86. Thusthe claw 84 b will move away from the opening 52 a sufficiently for theconnector Cn to enter the accommodation portion 52. The connector Cneventually will move below the leading end of the claw 84 b. At thispoint, the elastic restoring force of the base portion 84 a and theforces of the biasing member 86 will move the leading end of the claw 84b back to its initial position where the claw 84 b partly overlaps theopening 52 a and partly overlies the connector Cn. Thus, the claw 84 bprevents the connector Cn from coming up out of the opening 52 a.

[0091] Next, the control unit 34 is described.

[0092] Information on the mount positions of the opposite ends of thewires in the connectors (i.e. the aforementioned correspondence betweenthe wires and the probes 41) for the respective product numbers ofvarious subassemblies is stored in a nonvolatile memory Mr of thecontrol unit 34, as shown in FIG. 2. The memory may, for example, be aROM, EPROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM, a storage disc, or the like. As a result,the wire end mounting processes and an electrical connection testingprocess can be performed efficiently in accordance with informationregistered in the control unit 34.

[0093] A coupling piece 34 a is fixed to the bottom end of the frontsurface of the control unit 34, as shown in FIG. 1, and is cantileveredfixedly at the upper end of the fixed plate 35 b to which the wireinsertion detecting jigs 33 are mounted. The bottom end of the rearsurface of the control unit 34 is placed on the upper ends of thesupplying channels 31 a of the wire-supplying unit 31.

[0094] An operation panel is provided on the front surface of thecontrol unit 34 and preferably is used for the operation of the entirewire mount instructing/testing apparatus. As shown in FIG. 6, theoperation panel includes: various operation switches 90 to 96, thebuzzer 49, a volume adjusting screw or knob 97 for adjusting a buzzingvolume of the buzzer 49, a tone adjusting screw 98 for adjusting abuzzing frequency (tone) of the buzzer 49, a success indicator ordisplay or lamp (success LED) 99 which is turned on when the subassemblypasses a test on the wire mount, a pedal connecting terminal 100 forconnecting a specified pedal switch (not shown), and a connection port135 for connecting the product number switching board 36 to be describedlater.

[0095] The operation switch 90 is a main power switch, and the operationswitch 91 is a mode switch. The mode switch 91 enables switching betweena data registration mode, in which data are registered for each of theproduct numbers of the subassemblies, and an operation mode, in whichthe wires are guided to and mounted into the connectors, and in whichthe mounted states of the wires are tested. The operation switch 93 is afeed switch for successively designating the plurality of supplyingchannels 31 a and the instructing LEDs (see FIG. 1) of thewire-supplying unit 31. The feed switch 93 also designates the wiremount positions (positions of the probes 41 in FIG. 4) in the wireinsertion detecting jigs 33, the guiding LEDs 48, etc. to specify themwhen the product number is registered. The operation switch 92 is achangeover switch for switching an object of the feed switch 93 to besuccessively changed to the wire supplying unit 31 (instructing LEDs 32(FIG. 1), etc.), the wire insertion detecting jigs 33 (guiding LEDs 48)and the like when the product number is registered. The operation switch94 is a change switch for erasing the product number registered incorrespondence with the supplying channels 31 a of the wire supplyingunit 31 or replacing an operation sequence and the correspondence withthe supplying channels 31 a to change them. The operation switch 95 is aset switch as a confirmation button for the contents set by the changeswitch 94 and other switches. The operation switch 96 is a save switchfor saving the contents confirmed by the set switch 95 in thenonvolatile memory Mr shown in FIG. 2, such as an EEPROM or flashmemory.

[0096] The pedal switch connected with the pedal connecting terminal 100switches the operation mode of the instructing/testing apparatus betweena manual testing mode and an automatic testing mode. An operator canforcibly start manual testing (manual mode) or switch to automaticoperations (automatic testing mode) such as an <A-end mounting process>,a <B-end mounting process> and an <electrical connection testingprocess> any time by pushing the pedal switch, in any case, including acase where the actual operation is being performed. For example, ifthere is a break during the operation, an operator may have forgotten inwhich step he interrupted the operation when he tries to resume theoperation after the break. In such a case, the testing is started bypushing the pedal switch to judge the progress of the operation basedon, e.g. the blinking state of the instructing LED 32.

[0097] The rear surface of the control unit 34 is shown in FIG. 7, andincludes a connecting terminal group for connecting external equipmentwith the respective parts of the wire mount instructing/testingapparatus. Specifically, the connecting terminal group includes aguiding LED power supply port 101 for supplying a power supply of, e.g.,5 volts to anodes of the respective guiding LEDs 48 of the wireinsertion detecting jigs 33, a guiding LED driving port 102 for turningthe guiding LEDs 48 on and off at their cathode sides, a probe interfaceport 103 connected with the rods 62 of the probes 41 of the wireinsertion detecting jigs 33, an instructing LED power supply port 104and an instructing LED driving port 105 connected with the instructingLEDs 32 of the wire supplying unit 31. The ports 101, 102 and 103contain, for example, 60 pins, whereas the ports 104 and 105 contain,for example, 40 pins. Two success output terminals 106 send outputsignals to an external device such as stamper (not shown) for marking“Success Stamp” or the like when the subassembly passes the test. Apower terminal 107 can be connected e.g. with an AC adapter forconnection with a commercial power supply, and a grounding terminal 108can be connected to ground the metal plating 56 of the base plate 54 andthe touch plate 81 via the ground lead wire 57.

[0098]FIG. 8 is a function block diagram showing the functionalconstruction of the CPU 43 in the control unit 34. The CPU 43 operatesin accordance with a specified software program stored in the memory Mr(see FIG. 2), and is provided with a probe detector 111, an instructingLED controller 112, a guiding LED controller 113, a probe voltageswitching unit 114, a mode switching unit 115, a wire mountguiding/testing unit 116, a data registering unit 117, and a manualtesting unit 119 as shown in FIG. 8. The probe detector 111 detects thevoltage level (HIGH or LOW) of the rod 62 of each probe 41 in accordancewith a signal inputted from the detection signal input/output circuit42. The instructing LED controller 112 controllably turns theinstructing LEDs 32 on and off using the driving circuit 45. The guidingLED controller 113 controllably turns the guiding LEDs 48 on and offusing the driving circuit 44. The probe voltage-switching unit 114switches the voltage level (HIGH or LOW) of the rod 62 of each probe 41by sending a signal to the detection signal input/output circuit 42. Thewire mount guiding/testing unit 116 instructs and guides the mounting ofthe A-ends and B-ends of a wire for a subassembly of the product numberdesignated by the operator, and tests electrical connections after thesubassembly is completed. The mode switching unit 115 switches the modebetween the data registration mode and the operation mode based on thestate of the mode switch 91. The wire mount guiding/testing unit 116instructs and guides the respective ends (terminals) of the wires to themount positions by repeating the A-end mounting process and the B-endmounting process described later for the subassembly of the productnumber specified by the operator, and finally performs the electricalconnection testing process described later. The data registering unit117 performs a data registering process described later when the mode isswitched to the data registration mode by the mode switch 115. Themanual testing unit 118 performs a manual testing process describedlater when the pedal switch 119 connected with the pedal connectingterminal 100 shown in FIG. 6 is pushed.

[0099] The units 116, 117 and 118 display their respective functionswhile causing the probe detector 111 to detect the voltage level of eachprobe 41 and the LED controllers 112 and 113 to execute controls to turnon and off and blink the respective LEDs 32, 48. The wire mountguiding/testing unit 116 includes an A-end instructing/guiding section121 for performing the A-end mounting process, an B-endinstructing/guiding section 122 for performing the B-end mountingprocess, and an electrical connection testing section 123 for performingthe electrical connection testing process. The operations in the A-endand B-end instructing/guiding sections 121, 122 are repeated until allnecessary wires are connected with the respective connectors of asubassembly of one product number, and the electrical connection testingsection 123 tests the completed subassembly as a final confirmation uponcompletion of the operations in the sections 121, 122. Moreparticularly, the unit 116 includes an A-end instructing/guiding section121 for instructing and guiding the mounting of the A-ends, an B-endinstructing/guiding section 122 for instructing and guiding the mountingof the B-ends, and an electrical connection testing section 123 fortesting the electrical connections after the subassembly is completed.The operations in the A-end and B-end instructing/guiding sections 121,122 are repeated for each wire or the operations in the B-endinstructing/guiding section 122 are performed for a plurality of wiresafter the operations in the A-end instructing/guiding sections 121 areperformed for them. These operations are completed until all necessarywires are connected with the respective connectors of the subassembly ofone product number. The electrical connection testing section 123 thentests the completed subassembly as a final confirmation upon completionof the operations in the sections 121, 122.

[0100] The respective functional elements 111 to 123 in the CPUpreferably all are defined as subprograms or subroutines of the softwareprogram or parts of a specified program. Here, no description is givenon the details of the individual operational functions since they aredescribed later in the descriptions of the A-end mounting process, B-endmounting process, electrical connection testing process and dataregistering process.

[0101] The volume and tone adjusting screws 97, 98 on the front surfaceof the control unit 34 are adapted to change the buzzing volume and thebuzzing frequency (tone) of the buzzer 49 by being rotated ormanipulated. If several wire mount instructing/testing apparatuses areinstalled close to each other, the buzzing sounds of the respectiveapparatuses can be made distinguishable using these screws 97, 98 toprevent confusion.

[0102] The product number switching board 36 can be used to set any of aplurality (e.g. 16) of types of products. Specifically, as shown in FIG.9, paper tickets that bear product numbers can be inserted into holders132 on the upper surface of a board main body 131 to construct a productnumber list. An operator can select a desired product number by pushingone of the product number switches 133 e.g. in the form of push-buttonsarranged at the left side of holders 132 while looking at the productnumbers written on the number tickets in the holder 132. Here, theproduct number switches 133 are made e.g. of a transparent resin of red,yellow or other color, and light emitters (not shown) such as LEDs areprovided at the rear sides of the switches 133. When the product numberswitch 133 is pushed, the light emitter on its rear side immediatelyemits a light to illuminate the product number switch 133, displayingthe product number designated by the operator by illumination. Theswitching board 36 is connected to the connection port 135 (see FIG. 6)provided on the front surface of the control unit 34 via a flat cable136 shown in FIG. 10.

[0103] It is possible that the number of wires to be assembled willexceed the capacity of a single wire mount instructing/testingapparatus. In this case, a plurality of wire mount instructing/testingapparatuses are connected in series and/or in parallel, and are used incombination to significantly increase the numbers of connectors andwires to be handled. Specifically, the control unit 34 can output asuccess signal representing successes in all tests on the wire mountconducted by the control unit 34 from the success output terminals 106on the rear surface of the control unit 34, as shown in FIG. 11. One ofthe two success output terminals 106 of a control unit 34A of one wiremount instructing/testing apparatus may be connected with one connectionpin 103 a of the probe interface port 103 of the other apparatus 34B,whereas the other of the two success output terminal 106 may beconnected with the grounding terminal 108 of the other apparatus. Insuch a case, the final apparatus outputs a success signal by taking alogic multiplication of the successes in all tests in the firstapparatus and the successes in all tests in the second apparatus. Inthis way, a success signal representing successes in all tests in aplurality of wire mount instructing/testing apparatuses can be outputtedat once. If, for example, the probe interface port 103 contains 60connection pins, one of the 60 connection pins of the probe interfaceport 103 of the second or succeeding wire mount instructing/testingapparatus is used for the apparatus-to-apparatus connection, but theremaining 59 pins can be used for the tests.

[0104] A notice board 139 is shown in FIG. 1 for receiving with pins,magnets or clips to secure memos that have an operation schedule or thelike.

[0105] The wire mount instructing/testing apparatus uses the wireinsertion-detection jigs 33 to control the mounting of the respectivewires into a plurality of connectors at once and to simultaneously testthe mounted states of the wires. The instructing LEDs 32 successivelyinstruct the operator which wires to be taken out, and the guiding LEDs48 inform the operator of the positions in the connector into which therespective terminals of the wires should be inserted. Accordingly, adefect caused by an improper arrangement can be prevented, and whetherthe wire was properly inserted can be tested based on an electricalconnection. Thus, quality assurance in the manufacturing process can beachieved without increasing the number of operation steps, as explainedfurther below

[0106] An overall flow of operations is briefly described beforedescribing the operations in detail. For an easier understanding, asubassembly of a wiring harness as shown in FIG. 12 is used as anexample. In this subassembly, one cavity {circle over (1)} of aconnector 141 at an A-end and one cavity {circle over (2)} of aconnector 142 at a B-end are connected by one wire 143. Another wire 144is connected with another cavity {circle over (3)} of the connector 141,but not with the connector 142.

[0107] An operation procedure for this example is shown in the timingchart of FIG. 13. Specifically, the operation is started with none ofthe probes 41 contacted by the wire. Hence, during the time T1, theinstructing LED 32 (LED-A in FIG. 13) of the supplying channel 31 a isblinked to identify the wires that are to be taken out first to formthis subassembly, and all other instructing LEDs 32 (LED-B in FIG. 13)corresponding to the wires used for this subassembly are turned on.Simultaneously, the guiding LED 48 (LED {circle over (1)}) thatcorresponds to the cavity {circle over (1)} of the A-end side wireinsertion-detecting jig 33 in which the A-end side connector 141 ismounted is turned on. Since no wire is in contact with any of the probes41 at this stage, all the probes 41 (I/O{circle over (1)} to I/O{circleover (3)} in FIG. 13) are held at LOW (first potential) by beinggrounded by the barrels 55.

[0108] An operator mounts the A-end of the wire 143 of FIG. 12 into thecavity {circle over (1)} of the connector 141 in accordance with theturned-on guiding LED 48 (LED{circle over (1)} in FIG. 13). Then, thevoltage level of the probe 41 pressed by the A-end of the wire 143, i.e.the I/O{circle over (1)} in FIG. 13, rises to HIGH (second potential)and, accordingly, the guiding LED 48 (LED{circle over (1)} in FIG. 13)that had been on is turned off. Almost simultaneously, the guiding LED48 (LED{circle over (3)} in FIG. 13) corresponding to the cavity {circleover (3)} (see FIG. 12) of the connector 141 in the A-end side wireinsertion detecting jig 33 into which a wire should be inserted next isturned on. Further, the blinking instructing LED 32 (LED-A in FIG. 13)is turned off, and the instructing LED 32 (LED-B in FIG. 13) of thesupplying channel 31 a accommodating the wire to be taken out next isblinked.

[0109] At this stage, the operator may mount the A-end of the wire 144into the cavity {circle over (3)} of FIG. 12 in accordance with theilluminated instructing LED 32. However, it frequently is moreconvenient to first complete the wire 143 already being handled. In sucha case, the operator brings the B-end of the wire 143 into contact withthe touch plate 81 at t2 after the lapse of a period T2. Since the touchplate 81 is grounded, the voltage level of the wire falls to LOW at t2,which is sent to the I/O{circle over (1)} in FIG. 13 of the probe 41pressed by the A-end of the wire 143 to change the state thereof to LOW.The CPU 43 of the control unit 34 detects such a change and causes ablinking of the guiding LED 48 (LED{circle over (2)} in FIG. 13) thatcorresponds to the cavity {circle over (2)} of the connector 142 in theB-end side wire insertion-detecting jig 33 for the B-end of the wire143. The operator inserts the B-end of the wire 143 into the cavity{circle over (2)} (see FIG. 12) of the connector 142 in the B-end sidewire insertion-detecting jig 33, for example, at t3 upon looking at theblinking guiding LED 48 (LED{circle over (2)} in FIG. 13). The probe 41in the cavity {circle over (2)} is pressed to raise the voltage level ofthe I/O{circle over (2)} in FIG. 13 to HIGH and, accordingly, theguiding LED 48 (LED{circle over (2)} in FIG. 13) that had been on isturned off.

[0110] After t3, the LED{circle over (3)} in FIG. 13 is held on, and theLED-B blinks. The operator takes the next wire 144 from the supplyingchannel 31 a corresponding to the blinking instructing LED 32 (LED-B inFIG. 13), and inserts the A-end of the wire 144 into the cavity {circleover (3)} of FIG. 13, for example, at t4. At this time, similar to theabove, the voltage level of I/O{circle over (2)} of FIG. 13 rises toHIGH and, accordingly, the guiding LED 48 (LED{circle over (3)} in FIG.13) that had been on is turned off and the blinking instructing LED 32(LED-B in FIG. 13) is turned off. In this case, the operator is notifiedof a success due to a determination of a successful achievement of thestate shown in FIG. 12. Thereafter, the completed subassembly comprisedof the wires 143, 144 and the connectors 141, 142 is taken out from therespective wire insertion detecting jigs 33 at t5.

[0111] The data registering process described later is carried out usinga specified harness model that has substantially the same connectionconstruction as the one shown in FIG. 12. Thus, data on the instructionsand guides for the insertions to form the subassembly are stored in thememory Mr by extraction teaching or teach-in of a reference sample.Extraction teaching advantageously shortens the time required for thedata registration. A teach-in procedure may include the following steps:inserting a model connector or harness into the corresponding jigs anddetecting the circuit formed by such model connectors or harness e.g. byapplying a current or voltage or signal to the probes 41; then, afterthe model has been withdrawn, activating the instructing indicators 32to identify the wire to be taken from a supplying channel 31 a. Then theoperator chooses the insertion hole Cab of the connector Cn to teachwhere the respective wire end should be inserted. Once the wire isinserted (detected e.g. by the change in voltage of a probe 41 of theconnector Cn) the system or control 34 knows where the other end of thewire (“B-end”) should be inserted, as this is already known from themodel connectors or harness. Accordingly, there is no need to teach inthe insertion position of the B-end of the wire.

[0112] The above operations are described in detail, centered onexemplary operations of assembling a subassembly, by performing similaroperations for the succeeding wires after the A-end and B-end of onewire are connected with the connector.

[0113] The use of the wire mount instructing/testing apparatus isdescribed in greater detail below. For this operation, various pieces ofinformation including a relationship in connection between therespective wires 143, 144 and the connectors 141, 142 and information onthe supplying channels 31 a that accommodate the respective wires 143,144 are registered beforehand in the memory Mr of the control unit 34 ofthe wire mount instructing/testing apparatus using a model harness thathas substantially the same construction as the subassembly shown in FIG.12.

[0114]FIG. 13 is a timing chart showing the operation of the wire mountinstructing/testing apparatus. The apparatus is started with none of theprobes 41 contacted by the wire. The A-end of the wire 143 of thesubassembly shown in FIG. 12 then is inserted into the cavity {circleover (1)}0 of the A-end side connector 141.

[0115] At this stage, the CPU 43 sends a signal to the driving circuit44 to blink the instructing LED 32 (LED-A in FIG. 13) that correspondsto the supplying channel 31 a with the wire of the subassembly that isto be taken out first and to turn on all of the other instructing LED(s)32 (LED-B in FIG. 13) that are to be used for the subassembly during atime T1 in FIG. 13. Simultaneously, the guiding LED 48 (LED{circle over(1)} in FIG. 13) that correspond to the cavity {circle over (1)} of theA-end side wire insertion-detecting jig 33 in which the A-end sideconnector 141 is mounted is turned on.

[0116] The wires do not contact the probes 41 in the wire insertiondetecting jigs 33 at this stage. Hence, the spring bearing portions 65of the plungers 61 of the probes 41 are biased upward by the biasingmembers 63 and into the natural state shown in FIG. 5A. Accordingly, thebottom ends of the plungers 61 are spaced above the spring bearingportions 73 of the rods 62 below the plungers 61, as shown in FIG. 5B.Thus, the rods 62 also are held in their natural state, and the springbearing portions 73 of the rods 62 are biased upward by the biasingmembers 74 to bring the rods 62 (I/O{circle over (1)} to I/O{circle over(3)} in FIG. 13)of all the probes 41 into contact with the conductivecontact elements 75, thereby holding the rods 62 at the same groundpotential (first potential: LOW) as the barrels 55.

[0117] The operator at time t1 inserts the A-end of one wire 143 in FIG.12 into the cavity {circle over (1)} of the connector 141 that has theilluminated guiding LED 48 (LED{circle over (1)} in FIG. 13). Then, theA-end of the wire 143 contacts the leading end head 66 of the probe 41,as indicated by WH in FIG. 5C, thereby pushing the probe 41 down. Atthis time, the plunger 61 is moved down against the biasing force of thebiasing member 63 in the barrel 55, and the bottom end 61 a of theplunger 61 contacts the spring bearing portion 73 of the rod 62 to pushthe rod 62 down as shown in FIG. 5C. The rod 62 is moved down againstthe biasing force of the biasing member 74 in the barrel 55. As aresult, the rod 62 and the contact element 75 are distanced from eachother to cancel an electrical connection between the rod 62 and thebarrel 55. The bottom end of the rod 62 of the probe 41 is connected tothe power supply of, e.g. 5 volts, via the lead wire 78 and the pull-upresistor 79 as shown in FIG. 2. Therefore, the rod 62 is disconnectedelectrically from the barrel 55 and held at ground potential, to changethe voltage level of the rod 62 from LOW to HIGH. Such a voltage changeis sent to the CPU 43 via the detection signal input/output circuit 42,and the CPU 43 determines that the A-end of the wire has been insertedinto the cavity Cab of the connector Cn corresponding to the position ofthe probe 41 whose voltage level had risen to HIGH (second potential).

[0118] Upon such a detection, the CPU 43 sends a signal to the drivingcircuit 45 and turns off the guiding LED 48 (LED{circle over (1)} inFIG. 13) that had been on and turns on the guiding LED 48 (LED{circleover (2)} in FIG. 13) that corresponds to the cavity {circle over (3)}(see FIG. 12) of the connector in the A-end side wire insertiondetecting jig 33 into which a wire end is inserted next. Further, theCPU 43 sends a signal to the driving circuit 44 to turn off the blinkinginstructing LED 32 (LED-A in FIG. 13) and to blink the instructing LED32 (LED-B in FIG. 13) of the supplying channel 31 a that accommodatesthe wire to be taken out next.

[0119] At this stage, the operator may insert the A-end of the otherwire 144 into the cavity {circle over (3)} in FIG. 12 when the guidingLED 48 that corresponds to the cavity {circle over (3)} (see FIG. 12) isturned on. However, it is frequently more convenient to complete thefirst wire 143 that has been handled. In such a case, the operator willwant to insert the B-end of the first wire 143 into the cavity {circleover (2)} before inserting the wire end into the cavity {circle over(3)} in FIG. 12. The operator notifies his intention to insert the B-endto the wire mount instructing/testing apparatus by contacting the touchplate 81 with the B-end of the wire 143 at time t2, which is reachedafter a lapse of time T2 following the time t1.

[0120] The touch plate 81 is grounded. Consequently, the voltage levelof the wire 143 falls to LOW at t2. At this time, the bottom end 61 a ofthe plunger 61 contacts the spring bearing portion 73 of the rod 62, asshown in FIG. 5C. The plunger 61 then pushes down on the rod 62 of theprobe 41 in the cavity {circle over (1)} of the connector 141 disposedin the A-end side wire insertion-detecting jig 33. Accordingly, the rod62 and the contact element 75 separate and cancel an electricalconnection between the rod 62 and the barrel 55. However, since thevoltage level of the wire 143 falls to LOW at t2, the voltage levels ofthe plunger 61 and the rod 62 also fall to LOW. In other words, thestate LOW of the I/O{circle over (1)} of the probe 41 in the A-end sidewire insertion-detecting jig 33 at t2 is sent to the CPU 43 of thecontrol unit 34, and the CPU 43 starts guiding the B-end.

[0121] At this stage, the CPU 43 signals the driving circuit 44 to blinkthe guiding LED 48 (LEDO{circle over (2)} in FIG. 13) that correspondsto the cavity {circle over (2)} (see FIG. 12) of the connector 142 inthe B-end side wire insertion detecting jig 33 into which the B-end ofthe wire 143 is to be inserted. The operator observes the blinkingguiding LED 48 (LED{circle over (2)} in FIG. 13), and, at time t3, theoperator inserts the B-end of the wire 143 into the cavity {circle over(2)} (see FIG. 12) of the connector 142 in the B-end side wireinsertion-detecting jig 33, for example. The probe 41 in the cavity{circle over (2)} is pushed down to raise the voltage level of theI/O{circle over (2)} in FIG. 13 to HIGH. In response thereto, the CPUsends a signal to the driving circuit 44 to turn off the blinkingguiding LED 48 (LED{circle over (2)} in FIG. 13).

[0122] During this time, the LED{circle over (3)} (guiding LED 48)remains on and the LED-B (instructing LED 32) continues blinking, asshown in FIG. 13. The operator observes these states and inserts theA-end of the other wire 143 at time t4. Specifically, the operator takesthe next wire 144 from the supplying channel 31 a that corresponds tothe blinking instructing LED 32 (LED-B in FIG. 13), and, at time t4, theoperator inserts the A-end of the wire 144 into the cavity {circle over(3)} in FIG. 10 while looking at the turned-on LED {circle over (3)}(guiding LED 48). At this time, the A-end of the wire WH, 144 contactsand pushes down the leading end head 66 of the probe 41. The plunger 61then is moved down against the biasing force of the biasing member 63 inthe barrel 55, as shown in FIG. 5C, and the bottom end 61 a of theplunger 61 contacts and pushes down the spring bearing portion 73 of therod 62. The rod 62 is moved downward against the biasing force of thebiasing member 74 in the barrel 55. As a result, the rod 62 becomesspaced from the contact element 75 and cancels an electrical connectionbetween the rod 62 and the barrel 55. As shown in FIG. 2, the bottom endof the rod 62 of this probe 41 is connected with the power supply of,e.g. 5 volts via the lead wire 78 for external connection and thepull-up resistor 79. Accordingly, the voltage level of the rod 62 thatis disconnected electrically from the barrel 55 held at ground potentialis switched from LOW to HIGH as shown in I/O{circle over (3)} of FIG.13. In response thereto, the CPU 43 signals the driving circuit 45 toturn off the guiding LED 48 (LED{circle over (3)} in FIG. 13) that havebeen on and the blinking instructing LED 32 (LED-B in FIG. 13). Finally,a determination of whether the A-ends and B-ends of the wires 143, 144are properly electrically connected is tested based on informationstored beforehand in the memory Mr. In the case of passing the test, asuccess is notified to the operator by means of the specified buzzer 49or a specified success lamp (not shown) or the like. Thereafter, acompleted subassembly (see FIG. 12) comprised of the wires 143, 144 andthe connectors 141, 142 is taken out of the respective wire insertiondetecting jigs 33.

[0123] Although the A-end and B-end of the second wire 144 are mountedafter those of the first wire 143 are mounted in this example, theB-ends of the wires 143, 144 may be mounted after the A-ends thereof aremounted.

[0124] The barrels 55 at the outer peripheries of all the probes 41 inthe wire insertion-detecting jig are adhered to the metal plating 56 ona plurality of through holes of the base plate 54 and are commonlygrounded by the one ground lead wire 57. In other words, the probes 41can be grounded using the single ground lead wire 57 even if there aremany probes 41 provided in correspondence with the cavities of theconnector. Accordingly, a large space is not required for the wiring forconnection, and the wiring layout can be simplified, with the resultthat a wire insertion detecting jig having an excellent wiringefficiency for the connection between the wire insertion detecting jig33 and the control unit 34 can be provided.

[0125] The metal plating 56 extends from the through holes 53 to theentire upper and lower surfaces of the base plate 54 in the foregoingembodiment. However, the metal plating 56 may be formed on only one ofthe upper and lower surfaces or only on sufficient portions of theeither surface of the base plate 54 to achieve a common connection amongall of the through holes 53.

[0126] The mode switch 91 shown in FIG. 6 is grounded to the frontsurface of the control unit 34, and initially is set to the operationmode.

[0127] The connectors Cn that are to be assembled then are mountedrespectively in the openings 52 of the respective wire insertiondetecting jigs 33 prepared for the A-ends and for the B-ends. As shownin FIG. 4, each connector Cn is pushed down from above sufficiently tocontact the tapered surface 84 c of the lock 84 at the opening 52 a ofthe wire insertion-detecting jig 33. Forces of the connector Cn on thetapered surface 84 c cause the base 84 a of the lock 84 to bend and/orpivot so that the claw 84 b of the lock 84 moves sideways away from theopening 52 a. These forces also compress the biasing member 86. As aresult, the connector Cn can be inserted into the opening 52 a.Sufficient insertion causes the upper end of the connector Cn to slipunder the leading end of the claw 84 b of the lock 84. The elasticrestoring force of the base 84 a and/or the biasing force of the biasingmember 86 then return the lock 84 to its initial position. Thus theleading end of the claw 84 b partially overlaps the upper surface of theconnector Cn in the opening 52 a and prevents the connector Cn fromcoming up out of the opening 52 a.

[0128] Next, the main power switch 90 on the front surface of thecontrol unit 34 shown in FIG. 6 is pushed to turn on a main power supply(Step S01 of a flow chart of FIG. 14). At this stage, control signalsare sent to the driving circuits 44, 45 in FIG. 2 from the CPU 43 in thecontrol unit 34 to turn on for about 2 seconds all the instructing LEDs32 that correspond to the respective supplying channels 31 a of the wiresupplying unit 31 and all the guiding LEDs 48 of all the wire insertiondetecting jig 33. The operator then can check whether any of the lampshas burned out by confirming whether all the LEDs 32, 48 are on at thistime. Thus, the operator can identify an abnormality of the lampsthemselves prior to the operation. It should be noted that the lightemitters at the rear surfaces of the product number switches 133 of theproduct number switching board 36 (see FIG. 9) are all off.

[0129] The operator, in Step S04 of FIG. 14, then looks at the numbertickets in the holders 132 of the product switching board 36 in FIG. 9to determine whether the product number of the subassembly to be formedis registered. More particularly, the product number is alreadyregistered if it is listed, and is not registered yet if it is notlisted. Even if the product number switch 133 is pushed at this stage,the light emitter will not be turned on if the corresponding productnumber is not registered yet. Based on this, the operator can easilyconfirm that the product number is not registered yet. In such a case,this product number is registered in accordance with the dataregistering process described later in Step S03 of FIG. 14.

[0130] The operator then selects a desired product number from theproduct numbers registered in Step S03 or judged in Step S02 to beregistered already. The selection is carried out by pushing acorresponding product number switch 133 provided at the left side of theholders 132 of the product number switching board 36, while looking atthe product number list defined by the product numbers written on thenumber tickets in the holder 132. Then, the light emitter at the rearsurface of the pushed product number switch 133 emits a light toilluminate this product number switch, and a program in the memory Mrcorresponding to this product number is selected.

[0131] The CPU 43 judges in Step S05 of FIG. 14 whether the probes 41 tobe used for the selected product number are proper. In the natural state(not contacted by the wire) of each probe 41 in the wireinsertion-detecting jig 33, the spring bearing portion 65 of the plunger61 is biased upward by the biasing member 63. Accordingly, the rod 62below the plunger 61 also is held in its natural state with the springbearing portion 73 of the rod 62 biased upward by the biasing member 74to hold the rod 62 in contact with the contact element 75 at the sameground potential (low state) as the barrel 55. An abnormality of theprobe 41 is identified if the level of a signal inputted to the CPU 43via the detection signal input/output circuit 42, as shown in FIG. 2, isHIGH at this point. Thus, the guiding LED 48 that corresponds to theabnormal probe 41 is turned on in Step S06 of FIG. 14, and the buzzer 49is operated to give a warning to the operator. In this case, theoperator repairs the probe 41 in accordance with a specified proceduresuch as a start inspection in Step S07 of FIG. 14.

[0132] After completion of the above-described initial process, thefollowing A-end mounting process and B-end mounting process areperformed successively for the first wire. More particularly, the CPU 43controls the driving circuit 45 to blink the instructing LED 32 of thesupplying channel 31 a that accommodates the wire to be mounted first(n=1 in the block of Step S08 of FIG. 14) to form the subassembly of theselected product number. Simultaneously, the instructing LEDs 32 thatcorrespond to the supplying channels 31 a that accommodate all otherkinds of wires to be used for this subassembly are turned on because aplurality of kinds of wires are normally used to form the subassembly ofthe selected product number. Then, a specified guiding LED 48 of theA-end side wire insertion-detecting jig 33 is turned on to identify thecavity Cab (see FIG. 4) of the connector Cn into which the first wireshould be mounted is turned on.

[0133] The operator draws an A-end of a wire out through the upperopening 31 b in the supplying channel 31 a corresponding to the blinkinginstructing LED 32. The operator then brings this A-end of the wiretoward the A-end side wire insertion-detecting jig 33, and, in Step S09,inserts the A-end of the wire into the cavity Cab of the connector Cnthat corresponds to the turned-on guiding LED 48.

[0134] The A-end of the wire then contacts and pushes down the leadingend head 66 of the probe 41, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5A. Forces exertedby the wire urge the plunger 61 down in the barrel 55 against the forceof the biasing member 63, and the bottom end 61 a of the plunger 61contacts and pushes down the spring bearing portion 73 of the rod 62.The rod 62 moves down in the barrel 55 against the force of the biasingmember 74, and thus the rod 62 and the contact element 75 separate tocancel the electrical connection between the rod 62 and the barrel 55.The bottom end of the rod 62 of the probe 41 is connected to a powersupply of, e.g. 5 volts via the lead wire 78 and the pull-up resistor79. Hence the electrical disconnection of the rod 61 from the barrel 55changes the voltage level of the rod 62 from LOW to HIGH. The voltagechange is sent to the CPU 43 via the detection signal input/outputcircuit 42, and the CPU 43 detects that the A-end of the wire is in thecavity Cab of the connector Cn corresponding to the probe 41 whosevoltage level has risen to HIGH (second potential) (Step S10 of FIG.15).

[0135] The CPU 43 checks the inserted position of the A-end of the wirebased on the information already registered in the memory Mr in StepsS11 and S12 of FIG. 15. Specifically, the CPU 43 determines that theinserted position of the A-end is wrong if the voltage level has risenfor a probe 41 different from the expected probe 41. In response to sucha determination, the CPU 43 sends the driving circuit 46 a signal thatcauses the buzzer 49 to emit short intermittent buzzing sounds, therebywarning the operator that the inserted position of the A-end is wrong.The operator corrects the inserted position of the A-end in response tosuch a warning in Step S14 of FIG. 15, and carries out the operationsafter Step S10 again.

[0136] On the other hand, if the CPU 43 determines that the insertedposition of the A-end is proper, Step S15 of FIG. 15 follows, in whichthe CPU 43 sends specified signals to the driving circuits 44, 45 toturn off the blinking instructing LED 32 and the turned-on guiding LED48. Further, the instructing LED 32 of the supplying channel 31 a thathas a wire to be inserted next is blinked in view of a possibility thatthe operator wants to mount an A-end of another wire without mountingthe B-end of this wire next.

[0137] The insertion of the B-end of the wire may follow directly afterthe insertion of the A-end, and that part of the process is describednext. More particularly, the A-end of the wire that was inserted intothe proper connector Cn contacts the probe 41. Accordingly, the rod 62and the plunger 61 of the probe 41 are disconnected from the groundedbarrel 55. Power is applied to the rods 62 and the plungers 61 via thepull-up resistor 79 as shown in FIG. 2. Thus, the voltage levels of therods 62 of the respective probes 41 are held at HIGH, and the HIGHvoltage levels of the rods 62 are inputted to the CPU 43 via thedetection signal input/output circuit 42. The probes 41 in the B-endside wire insertion-detecting jig 33 are not contacted by a wire, andthus are held in their natural state. Consequently, as shown in FIG. 5A,the spring bearing portions 65 of the plungers 61 are biased upward bythe biasing members 63 and hold the rods 62 in their natural state.Therefore, the spring bearing portions 73 of the rods 62 are biasedupward by the biasing members 74 and bring the rods 62 into contact withthe conductive contact elements 75 to hold them at the same groundpotential (LOW) as the barrel 55.

[0138] In this state, the operator arbitrarily selects the wire havingits A-end mounted in the connector, and brings the B-end of the selectedwire into contact with the touch plate 81 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Thetouch plate 81 is grounded via the ground lead wire 57 as shown in FIG.4. Therefore the voltage level of the wire that contacts the touch plate81 falls to LOW. Then, the voltage level of the plunger 61 in contactwith the A-end of the wire and the voltage level of the rod 62 incontact with the plunger 61 both fall to LOW (see FIGS. 4 and 5A).

[0139] The CPU 43 detects the contact of the B-end of the wire with thetouch plate 81 based on the voltage change in the probe 41 in the A-endside wire insertion-detecting jig 33 (Step S16 of FIG. 15). The CPU 43thus confirms the operator's arbitrary intention to mount the B-end ofthe wire and specifies the wire to be mounted.

[0140] The CPU 43 signals the driving circuit 44 to blink the guidingLED 48 that corresponds to the proper inserted position of the B-end ofthe wire in the Bend side wire insertion detecting jig 33 in Step S17 ofFIG. 15. This guiding LED 48 continues to be blinked even after theoperator disengages the B-end of the wire from the touch plate 81.Specifically, the wire is no longer grounded if the operator disengagesthe B-end of the wire from the touch plate 81. Therefore, the voltagelevel of the rod 62 of the probe 41 in contact with the A-end of thewire returns again to HIGH, and the CPU 43 detects this voltage level.However, the one guiding LED 48 of the B-end side wireinsertion-detecting jig 33 continues to be blinked via the drivingcircuit 44. Simultaneously, the guiding LED 48 of the A-end side wireinsertion detecting jig 33 corresponding to the A-end of the second wireto be mounted is left on.

[0141] The operator looks at the blinking guiding LED 48 of the B-endside wire insertion-detecting jig 33 and inserts the B-end of the wireinto the corresponding cavity Cab of the connector Cn. The B-end of thewire contacts and pushes down the plunger 61 of the probe 41, and theplunger 61 of the probe 41 pushes the rod 62 out of electricalconnection with the barrel 55. As a result, the voltage level of the rod62 of the probe 41 rises from its initial state, and changes from LOW toHIGH. The voltage change in the rod 62 is sent to the CPU 43 via thedetection signal input/output circuit 42, and the CPU 43 detects thatthe B-end of the wire has been inserted into the cavity Cab of theconnector Cn corresponding to the position of the probe 41 whose voltagelevel had risen to HIGH (Step S18 of FIG. 15).

[0142] Correspondence between the probes 41 that detected the insertionof the wire ends in the A-end side and B-end side wireinsertion-detecting jigs 33 is checked in Steps S19 and S20 of FIG. 16.If the probe 41 with the HIGH voltage level is different from the oneexpected by the CPU 43, then the CPU 43 determines that the B-end of thewire has been inserted in a wrong position. Accordingly, the CPU 43signals the driving circuit 46 to cause the buzzer 49 to emit shortintermittent buzzing sounds, thereby warning the operator of an errorinsertion of the B-end (Step S21 of FIG. 16). The operator then correctsthe inserted position of the B-end (Step S22 of FIG. 16).

[0143] On the other hand, if the CPU 43 judges that the B-end has beeninserted in a proper position, it sends a signal to the driving circuits44, 45 to turn off the blinking instructing LED 32 and the guiding LED48 corresponding to the mounted wire.

[0144] The above-described guiding and testing operations also areperformed when the operator forgets to bring the B-end into contact withthe touch plate 81, and an automatic electrical connection testingprocess follows if the B-end is properly inserted in this case.

[0145] The above-described A-end and B-end mounting processes arerepeated for each wire to be inserted. Specifically, the CPU 43 guidesthe operator to mount the A-end of the second wire into the connector Cnby blinking the instructing LED 32 of the supplying channel 31 a thataccommodates the second wire and by turning on the guiding LED 48 thatcorresponds to the cavity Cab of the connector Cn in the A-end side wireinsertion detecting jig 33 (Step S23 of FIG. 16). Similar to themounting of the first wire, the operator inserts the A-end of the secondwire into the proper cavity Cab of the connector Cn in accordance withthe blinking instructing LED 32 and the turned-on guiding LED 48. Then,these instructing LED 32 and the guiding LED 48 are turned off.Thereafter, similar to the mounting of the first wire, the B-endmounting process is performed for the second wire.

[0146] The third and subsequent wires are mounted in a similar manner,and the operations of Steps S09 to S23 are repeated until the A-ends andB-ends of the wires are mounted into all the cavities Cab of oneconnector Cn in each wire insertion detecting jigs 33 (Step S24 of FIG.16).

[0147] A subassembly can be completed by repeating the A-end mountingprocess and the B-end mounting process for each wire. However, the B-endmounting process is not started unless the operator brings the B-endinto contact with the touch plate 81. Instead, the operator may takeanother wire corresponding to the blinking instructing LED 32 from thesupplying channel 31 a and insert it into the cavity Cab of theconnector Cn corresponding to the turned-on guiding LED 48. In such acase, the CPU 43 forcibly returns to the operations of Step S10 andsubsequent Steps instead of the operations of Step S16 and subsequentSteps, thereby enabling selection of mounting of the A-end of anotherwire. Accordingly, all B-ends may be mounted after the A-ends of all thewires are mounted as in a case where the apparatuses according to thefirst and second prior art are used in combination such as a case wherea plurality of wires are inserted through a specified tube, orconversely the A-end and B-end of a next wire are mounted into theconnectors after the A-end and B-end of one wire are mounted, i.e. eachwire is completely mounted into the connectors before a next wire ismounted. Therefore, there is an advantage that the operator can freelyselect the operation sequence of the mounting processes.

[0148] The CPU 43 carries out an electrical connection test between theA-ends and the B-ends of the wires mounted in the connectors Cn in theA-end side and B-end side wire insertion-detecting jigs 33 (Steps S25,S26 of FIG. 16). At the start of this electrical connection test, theA-ends and B-ends of the respective wires are in contact with the probesin the connectors Cn and are electrically disconnected from the groundedbarrels 55 (see FIGS. 4 and 5A).

[0149] At this stage, the CPU 43 controls the detection signalinput/output circuit 42 connected with the rods 62 of the respectiveprobes 41, for example, in the A-end side wire insertion-detecting jig33 to lower the voltage levels of the rods 62 electrically connectedwith the A-ends of the wires one by one to the ground level. Then, theCPU 43 confirms the voltage levels of the rods 62 of the respectiveprobes 41 in the B-end side wire insertion-detecting jig 33 via thedetection signal input/output circuit 42 and checks whether the voltagelevel of the rod 62 of the B-end side probe 41 has fallen from HIGH toLOW in conformance with the wire whose voltage level is reduced fromHIGH to LOW at the A-end side. This confirmation test is conducted at aspecified time lag or period for all the wires mounted into theconnector Cn.

[0150] If a failure is detected in the test of Step S26, the buzzer 49repeatedly emits short intermittent buzzing sounds and the guiding LEDs48 corresponding to the inserted positions of the A-end and B-end of thewire that caused the failure are blinked. The operator then performs aspecified repair in Step S28.

[0151] The mounting of the wires into the connectors Cn is instructed,guided and tested properly in the aforementioned A-end mounting andB-end mounting processes. Consequently, there is no likelihood offailing to pass the test if the operations have been performed asinstructed and guided. Thus, this electrical connection testing processprovides a meaningful final electrical connection confirmation.

[0152] On the other hand, upon passing the test, the CPU 43 controls thedriving circuit 46 to cause the buzzer 49 to emit a single long buzzingsound and the success lamp (success LED) 99 on the front surface of thecontrol unit 34 is turned on for only 2 seconds in Step S29.

[0153] Next, the wire-mounted and tested connectors Cn are detached fromthe respective wire insertion-detecting jigs 33. In particular, allguiding LEDs 48 of the wire insertion-detecting jigs 33 used for thedesignated product number are blinked in Step S30 of FIG. 17. Afterseeing this, the operator detaches the connectors Cn from the wireinsertion detecting jigs 33. The ends of all wires then are detachedfrom the probes 41, and the plungers 61 and the rods 62 (see FIG. 5A) ofthe probes 41 are brought into their natural states, i.e. the voltagelevels thereof fall to ground level (LOW). Upon detecting the voltagechange, CPU 43 determines whether the main power switch 90 is off (StepS32 of FIG. 17). Unless the main power switch 90 is off, the operationroutine is automatically reset (Steps S33 of FIG. 14) since there is ahigh possibility that the operator continues the wire mounting operationfor a next subassembly. This routine returns to Step S08 of FIG. 14 torepeat the operations in Step S08 and subsequent Steps.

[0154] If manual testing is desired during the above operation, thepedal switch (not shown) connected with the pedal connecting terminal100 of FIG. 6 is pressed, for example, for 10 seconds or longer to setthe manual testing mode. The automatic testing mode and the manualtesting mode are switched alternately every time the pedal switch ispressed e.g. for 10 seconds or longer. Accordingly, if the operatorintends to perform a specified process including the manual insertingoperation, a suitable mode can be designated by an automatic/manualtesting mode-designating means. This function preferably is maintainedeven if the power is turned off.

[0155] The operation of the data registering process is described withreference to Step S03 of FIG. 14. In particular, data registration maybe started from the A-end side or from the B-end side, but is dividedbasically into a process of obtaining information on the connectionbetween the A-end side and the B-end side and a process of saving anoperation procedure for mounting the A-ends by successively pushing therespective probes 41 of the A-end side. Here, such a data registeringmethod is performed, as an example, that the latter process is performedafter the former process.

[0156] First, the operation mode is switched to the data registrationmode by pressing the mode switch 91 provided on the front surface of thecontrol unit 34 shown in FIG. 6 e.g. for 2 seconds

[0157] At this stage, the CPU 43 drives the driving circuits 44, 45 toturn off all instructing LEDs 32 and all guiding LEDs 48, and hence tonotify the operator that the data registration mode is set. Preferably,the mode switch 91 is transparent and can be illuminated by causing alight emitter at its rear surface to emit a light as an indication thatthe data registration mode is set.

[0158] The data of the B-ends are inputted (extraction teaching).Specifically, the mode switch 91 is pressed e.g. for 2 seconds. Then,all instructing LEDs 32 and all the guiding LEDs 48 are turned off, andthe light emitter on the rear surface of the mode switch 91 is turnedon.

[0159] The operator pushes the product number switch 133 of the productnumber switching board 36 corresponding the product number whose dataare to be registered. Then, the operator mounts the A-end side connector141 and the B-end side connector 142 of the model harness as a completedsubassembly as shown in FIG. 12 into the wire insertion-detecting jigs33 with which he wants to correspond the connectors.

[0160] The wire mount instructing/testing apparatus detects electricalconnections between the respective A-ends and the B-ends to obtaininformation on the wires in the B-end side connector (teaching). Thedetection of the electrical connections between the A-end side and theB-end side may be carried out by a method similar to the testing processdescribed above. The operator then pushes the save switch on the frontsurface of the control unit 34 shown in FIG. 6, and the CPU 43 saves theregistered information for the connected wires in the memory Mr.

[0161] Data registration information concerning the correspondencebetween the A-ends and the B-ends of the subassembly can be savedautomatically in the memory Mr merely by pushing the save switch 96after the prepared model harness is mounted in the wire insertiondetecting jigs 33. Therefore, the data can be registered by a verysimple operation.

[0162] The CPU 43 then preferably automatically returns to the operationmode.

[0163] The operation procedure for the mounting of the A-ends in theA-end side wire insertion-detecting jig is saved as described below. Inparticular, the operator first pushes the product number switch 133 ofthe product number switching board 36 that corresponds to the productnumber whose data are to be registered. The operator then designates thewire that is to be mounted first while pushing the feed switch 93 on thefront surface of the control unit 34 shown in FIG. 6. At this time, theinstructing LEDs 32 are blinked successively while the feed switch 93 ispushed or every time it is pushed. The operator maintains the blinkingstate of the instructing LED 32 corresponding to the wire that will bemounted at its blinking state while looking at the successive blinking.

[0164] The operator pulls the wire out through the upper opening 31 b inthe supplying channel 31 a that corresponds to the blinking instructingLED 32, and inserts the A-end of that wire to press the wire against theprobe 41 in the cavity Cab of the connector Cn in the wireinsertion-detecting jig 33.

[0165] At this stage, the blinking instructing LED 32 is turned on andthe guiding LED 48 corresponding to the probe 41 pushed by the A-end isturned on. The operator then pushes the save switch 96, and the CPU 43saves the registered information on the connected wire in the memory Mr.

[0166] Thereafter, the mode switch 91 is pushed again e.g. for 2 tocomplete the data input for the A-end, and the instructing/testingapparatus returns to the operation mode. At this time, the light emitteron the rear surface of the mode switch 91 is turned off.

[0167] Correct operations are successively registered as data in theabove procedure for the respective supplying channels 31 a in an orderdetermined based on the actual operations. Accordingly, the data can beregistered by a very simple method, and anybody can easily carry outdata registration.

[0168] Further, since the operation procedure during the dataregistration is the same as the one during the actual operation (ofinstructing and guiding insertion), there is an advantage that theoperator can easily recognize the operation procedure at the same timehe carries out the data registration.

[0169] Similarly, the same operations are performed for the second andsubsequent wires and, consequently, the A-ends of the all the wires usedin the subassembly are connected with one connector.

[0170] If the operator tries to register an A-end, which is notconnected with this connector, the data registration does not proceedany further and the buzzer 49 emits a warning.

[0171] The terminals of the model harness which have not been registeredas A-ends are all processed as B-ends in the control unit 34.

[0172] By employing the above method, anybody can easily register allpieces of information on the A-ends and B-ends of the subassembly in avery simple data registration procedure.

[0173] Correcting the information thus registered may be done by pushingthe change switch 94 on the front surface of the control unit 34 shownin FIG. 6.

[0174] In the processes described above, many wires can be assembled,but all wires cannot be assembled in one wire mount instructing/testingapparatus. However, the number of wires to be handled can be increasedby using a plurality of wire mount instructing/testing apparatuses 34A,34B connected in series as shown in FIG. 11. In such a case, a successsignal representing successes in all tests on the wire mount isoutputted from the success output terminal 106 at the rear surface ofthe control unit 34. One of the two success output terminals 106 on thecontrol unit 34A of one wire mount instructing/testing apparatus isconnected to one connection pin 103 a of the probe interface port 103 ofanother wire mount instructing/testing apparatus while the other isconnected to the grounding terminal 108 of the other wire mountinstructing/testing apparatus. An output that represents the positiveresults in all tests conducted in the plurality of wire mountinstructing/testing apparatuses can be outputted by taking a logicmultiplication of the successes in all tests in the first apparatus andthe successes in all tests in the second apparatus and outputting such alogic multiplication from the final wire mount instructing/testingapparatus. With such an arrangement, if the probe interface port 103contains, for example, 60 connection pins, one of the 60 connection pinsof the probe interface port 103 of the second or succeeding wire mountinstructing/testing apparatus is used for the apparatus-to-apparatusconnection, but the remaining 59 pins can be used for the tests.

What is claimed is:
 1. A probe (41) for detecting a contact of an end ofa wire, comprising: a conductive hollow barrel (55) which at leastpartly forms an outer periphery of the probe (41) and is connected witha specified common conductor (56), a contact element (75) formed insidethe barrel (55) and projecting therefrom, the contact element (75) beingconnected electrically with the barrel (55), at least one electricallyinsulating element (64; 71; 72) fitted in the barrel (55), at least oneconductive bar (61; 62) loosely fitted in the electrically insulatingelement (64; 71; 72) and being movable in the barrel (55) toward andaway from the contact element (75), the conductive bar (61; 62) beingmoved away from the contact element (75) by contact with the end of thewire, and a biasing member (63; 74) for biasing the conductive bar (61;62) into contact with the contact element (75).
 2. The probe ofaccording to claim 1, wherein the at least one conductive bar (61; 62)comprises first and second conductive bars (61, 62), the firstconductive bar (62) being brought out of contact with the contactelement (75) by means of the second conductive bar (61) being contactedby the end of the wire.
 3. The probe of claim 2, wherein the secondconductive bar (62) projects axially beyond the hollow barrel (55). 4.The probe of claim 2, wherein the biasing member (63; 74) is a firstbiasing member (74) and is disposed for biasing the first conductive bar(62) into contact with the contact element (75), the probe (41) furthercomprising a second biasing member (63) for biasing the secondconductive bar (61) away from the first conductive bar (62).
 5. A probe(41) for detecting a contact of an end of a wire, comprising: aconductive hollow barrel (55) connected with a specified commonconductor (56), a contact element (75) formed inside the barrel (55) andbeing connected electrically with the barrel (55), at least oneelectrically insulating element (64; 71; 72) fitted in the barrel (55),a conductive bar (62) loosely fitted in the electrically insulatingelement (64; 71; 72) and being movable in the barrel (55) toward andaway from the contact element (75); a first biasing member (74) forbiasing the conductive bar (62) into contact with the contact element(75); a plunger (61) slidably mounted in the hollow barrel (55) formovement toward and away from the conductive bar (62); and a secondbiasing member (63) for biasing the plunger (61) away from theconductive bar (62), the plunger (61) being accessible at an end of thehollow barrel (55) for contact by the end of the wire and being moveableagainst biasing forces of the second biasing member (63) into contactwith the conductive bar (62) for moving the conductive bar (62) out ofcontact with the contact element (75).
 6. The probe of claim 5, whereinan end of the plunger (61) furthest from the conductive bar (62)projects axially beyond the barrel (55).
 7. A probe (41) for detecting acontact of an end of a wire, comprising: a hollow barrel (55); a contactelement (75) formed inside the barrel (55) and being connectedelectrically with with a specified common conductor (56); a conductivebar (62) movable in the barrel (55) toward and away from the contactelement (75); a first biasing member (74) for biasing the conductive bar(62) into contact with the contact element (75); a plunger (61) slidablymounted in the hollow barrel (55) for movement toward and away from theconductive bar (62); and a second biasing member (63) for biasing theplunger (61) away from the conductive bar (62), the plunger (61) beingaccessible at an end of the barrel (55) for contact by the end of thewire and being moveable against biasing forces of the second biasingmember (63) into contact with the conductive bar (62) for moving theconductive bar (62) out of contact with the contact element (75).
 8. Theprobe of claim 7, wherein an end of the plunger (61) furthest from theconductive bar (62) projects axially beyond the barrel (55).